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How Amazon's FBA Prep Service works

Find all you need to know to get started with the FBA Prep Service.

26th Jul, 2023

4 MIN

What is the FBA Prep Service?

When you use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), we pick, pack and ship your FBA orders with 24/7 customer service. There are a number of packaging and prep requirements that must be met so we can fulfil these orders quickly and safely from our fulfilment centres.

You can choose to prep products for FBA yourself, or to have Amazon package and/or label products for you with our FBA Prep Service.

FBA Prep Service Benefits

There can be multiple advantages to using Amazon’s FBA Prep Service for sellers, including:

• Peace of mind about meeting requirements
• Helping to mitigate delays in receiving time
• Saving time when it comes to packaging and labelling

• Saving on prep overheads such as padding and boxes
• Assistance in delivering a great customer experience

Effective FBA prep supports speedy fulfilment and delivery, and helps to ensure products will reach your customers in great condition.

Minimum Requirements

For products to be eligible for the FBA Prep Service, they must be new and have a scannable barcode (ISBN, UPC, EAN, or JAN). It’s essential that each unit's barcode is not punched out, marked over, covered, or otherwise obstructed.

To learn more about the products you can sell with FBA, read what you can sell on Amazon and explore the FBA product restrictions.

How Amazon's FBA Prep Service works

So how do you use the FBA Prep Service with Amazon? Here are the steps to get started.

1. Choose FBA

Once you're registered as a seller, you'll be able to create your product listings and choose a fulfilment option for each product. If you’d like to use FBA and FBA Prep Service, select FBA in the Fulfilled by section.

2. Enable FBA Prep Service

On the Prepare Products page you’ll see a section asking Who Preps?

To enable the FBA Prep Service for that product, select Amazon. Click yes to the pop-up window that asks if you want to save these settings.

3. Select whp preps your products

Once you’ve enabled FBA Prep Service, you’ll need to nominate who will be preparing the product. This may depend on whether that particular product has prep guidance.

What is prep guidance?

Certain products, such as liquids and baby products, have specific prep guidance that must be followed for FBA in addition to the standard packaging and prep requirements. You can find more information on the prep guidance table.

For products with prep guidance:
Select the category and prep category that the product fits best into, and nominate whether you or Amazon will prep the items.

For products without prep guidance:
Choose no prep required if you believe the product doesn’t have specific prep guidance, and nominate whether you or Amazon will prep the items. It’s important to remember that even products without prep guidance may still have packaging and prep requirements.

Amazon will package products according to the prep category selected

4. Select who labels your products

The next step is to choose whether you or Amazon will be responsible for applying labels to each unit. Amazon can apply labels to eligible products that require an Amazon barcode for a per-item fee. Check out the FBA Label Service to learn more.

Good to know:

You can choose who preps and labels your products by default in your FBA settings page. Changing the default won’t affect previously created shipments or any preferences you’ve assigned to specific items

5. Send items to the fulfillment centre

Once you’ve created your FBA shipping plan, the next step is to prepare and ship the items to the appropriate Amazon fulfilment centre. Be sure to check the shipping and routing requirements before you send your items.

Packaging safely

As a seller you’re responsible for making sure products arrive at the fulfilment centre safely, even when using the FBA Prep Service. Make sure you use adequate cushioning and protection so items won’t get lose, break, leak or pose a risk.

How much does FBA Prep Service cost?

Naturally, you’ll want to assess whether the FBA Prep Service is the right choice for you. The cost of this service depends on the size and characteristics of the product, as well as the services required.

You can refer to the Amazon FBA prep service fees to see if they’ll suit your profit margins, together with Amazon seller fees.

A well-prepared product can be stored and ready to ship without delay for smooth order fulfilment. This is why many sellers consider the Amazon FBA Prep Service as an essential part of their selling strategy!